It's Going To Be A Bumpy Ride

[wrx]

Garfield,

Yes, it was last month. Yes, I speak Japanese. How else would I hold that trip?

 

[Flyboy4u]

Can someome explain why on the 7th of October Line holders are still being reassigned? I thought things were going back to normal. <_<

 

[wrx]

I thought things were going back to normal. <_<

Like I said before... How can we believe management?

 

[Garfield1966]

Can someome explain why on the 7th of October Line holders are still being reassigned? I thought things were going back to normal. <_<

Flyboy4u

Are you 752 qualified? Who said things were back to normal? The sick list is still at about 1200.



WRX

Like FWAA stated in his post, not sure how you had a 11 hour layover with the times of the flights being the way they are. And if you did not want the seq, then why bid for it? My guess is you only wanted to work 11 days last month so I'm not sure what you are bitching about. How should I know how you would hold the seq. I have no idea who you are or what your seniority is.

So do you want to come do my job for 160 hours a month?

 

[wrx]

So do you want to come do my job for 160 hours a month?

No! I now fly as little as possible. My main issue now is to get back what we lost. Thanks to the APFA and John Ward, we have a long road ahead. The most important thing is to recall John Ward and the National Officers. Heck if California can do it, why can't the AA flight attendants?


Recall Ward and the National Officers

 

[KCFlyer]

No! I now fly as little as possible.

Hell, it's a deal then...I'll trade jobs with you for a month. Of course, you will have to show up Monday thru Friday every week...and since you'd be on a probationary period, a doctors note will be required by those redneck Kansans when you call in sick.

 

[Flyboy4u]

I hear the FLU is going to hit early this season.... :blink:

 

[WingNaPrayer]

The "FLU" and it's message, had better hit quick before its too late. The interraction groups (which are all a front) are converging on HDQ as we speak.

 

[planemech669]

The only thing that I read here are a lot of selfish individuals concerned with getting their own way.

Ladies and gentlemen, things are tough and are only going to get tougher if this crap keeps going on.

To the general public reading these posts, I apologize for the lack of professionalism from my coworkers.

 

[KCFlyer]

The only thing that I read here are a lot of selfish individuals concerned with getting their own way.

Ladies and gentlemen, things are tough and are only going to get tougher if this crap keeps going on.

To the general public reading these posts, I apologize for the lack of professionalism from my coworkers.

Planemech - you are quite correct. But the damage is already being done. As I mentioned to wrx, my Thanksgiving plans have been booked on Delta, even though I would prefer to fly AA. I wonder how many others are doing the same thing. I can't risk someone who is upset with their union and their managment ruining my holiday plans. I believe most everyone working at an airline knew when they hired on that the airlines operate 365 days a year. Sorry if they can't deal with that.

 

[operaations]

No! I now fly as little as possible. My main issue now is to get back what we lost. Thanks to the APFA and John Ward, we have a long road ahead. The most important thing is to recall John Ward and the National Officers. Heck if California can do it, why can't the AA flight attendants?


Recall Ward and the National Officers

Wow that was the most intelligent thing i have ever read from you. I am so surprised it was not filled with childish insults and accusations. I wish you well in overthrowing your Union President and national officers. If that is what you want and think will help.

And Garfield...great work on uncovering that evil 11 hour NRT layover. Someone was just proven as a liar

 

[WingNaPrayer]

The only thing that I read here are a lot of selfish individuals concerned with getting their own way.

Ladies and gentlemen, things are tough and are only going to get tougher if this crap keeps going on.

To the general public reading these posts, I apologize for the lack of professionalism from my coworkers.

Planemech - you are quite correct. But the damage is already being done. As I mentioned to wrx, my Thanksgiving plans have been booked on Delta, even though I would prefer to fly AA. I wonder how many others are doing the same thing. I can't risk someone who is upset with their union and their managment ruining my holiday plans. I believe most everyone working at an airline knew when they hired on that the airlines operate 365 days a year. Sorry if they can't deal with that.

Clearly, neither one of you understands exactly what its all about. If you think FAs and others are disgruntled because they have to work on a holiday, then you've not been paying attention at all.

KC - good luck with Delta. In fact, they used to be my airline of choice until my routes changed and I ended up on their flying-gas-cans (Tri Stars) all the time and I got sick of the smell of jet fuel on board. I gave up on them and even though I know they have abandoned the L1011, I'm not quite ready to re-establish my relationship with them.

 

[KCFlyer]

Clearly, neither one of you understands exactly what its all about. If you think FAs and others are disgruntled because they have to work on a holiday, then you've not been paying attention at all.

KC - good luck with Delta. In fact, they used to be my airline of choice until my routes changed and I ended up on their flying-gas-cans (Tri Stars) all the time and I got sick of the smell of jet fuel on board. I gave up on them and even though I know they have abandoned the L1011, I'm not quite ready to re-establish my relationship with them.

I could really care less what their beef is about...they are in a service industry....I am their customer. Now I read that in order to "teach" their company a lesson, some intend to screw up my holiday plans. So I booked away. I can't risk being used as a pawn in a labor dispute.

Delta's not my first choice either, but I haven't read anywhere where their FA's are planning some "sick out" over the holidays, so I felt safer booking with them. It's a shame, too, because I would have given AA the business in a second, had this "sickout" BS not been bantered about. That's what some of these FA's don't understand...actions like this don't help their cause at all. If anything, it hurts the airline even more. And when they hurt the airline, they hurt themselves, because they are the airline. Imagine how much lost revenue the airline will have to work with after they either refund a bunch of holiday airfares, or give away future travel in the name of goodwill.

 

[WingNaPrayer]

I could really care less what their beef is about...they are in a service industry....I am their customer. Now I read that in order to "teach" their company a lesson, some intend to screw up my holiday plans. So I booked away. I can't risk being used as a pawn in a labor dispute.

Delta's not my first choice either, but I haven't read anywhere where their FA's are planning some "sick out" over the holidays, so I felt safer booking with them. It's a shame, too, because I would have given AA the business in a second, had this "sickout" BS not been bantered about. That's what some of these FA's don't understand...actions like this don't help their cause at all. If anything, it hurts the airline even more. And when they hurt the airline, they hurt themselves, because they are the airline. Imagine how much lost revenue the airline will have to work with after they either refund a bunch of holiday airfares, or give away future travel in the name of goodwill.

Well, their beef is not my beef either, but I have a lot of respect for labor, and in this case, the FAs, pilots, rampers, agents, fleet service, all of them, they are what made the American Airlines you "would have" booked with. The problem in a nutshell is that the powers that be at AA have very little, if any respect for labor and the very people who make their hefty paychecks possible.

I slightly disagree that airlines are a service industry, they aren't hotels, they are a major part of the transportation industry, but lets not mince words. Years ago it used to be said "the customer is always right" - well, those days are gone because nine times out of ten, the customers is always wrong, especially in the airline game. To most customers, its more about how much they can get for nothing, or by doing an extra amount of bitching than anything else. Passengers are barely half of what keeps an airline flying. Cargo is more important than your butt in a seat and on many markets, cargo is the reason the aircraft is expended on the route in the first place, passengers are just a bit of pocket change on the side. So, you wouldn't be used as a pawn in any labor dispute. The fact is, a sick out can bring an airline, even one as sizeable as American, to it's knees. Executive management in just about every industry there is seems to think they can run the show without labor, therefor, they treat labor like dung and in these days of post 9/11 red ink on balanace sheets, the republicans in D.C. are turning a blind eye to what the airlines are doing to their labor force in the name of becoming profitable again. Simply put, that's wrong.

If half of the flight attendants at American called in sick, the airline would still fly, but less than half of their scheduled departures. Now, if half the agents called in sick, that's a different story. Without agents, passengers don't get checked in, and those passengers that don't get checked in on time for a flight get left behind because American does NOT hold planes for passengers. So thinking that employees don't care about customers because the idea of a sick out is being tossed around is wrong. The company already doesn't give a crap about it's passengers, and I've been stuck by the lovely slackers at TSA doing security as slowly as possible and American has left me behind on several occasions. Sure, they'll book for the next available flight, but what do I do when it happens to be a once a day flight? American still has my money and being held up in security checkpoint hell is not a legitimate reason for them to have to give it back. Once the revenue is in AA's pocket, it's gone. However, if I don't get checked in because of a sick out, that revenue comes back to me, NOT AA.

As you said, Imagine how much lost revenue the airline will have to work with after they either refund a bunch of holiday airfares, or give away future travel in the name of goodwill. I guess you have no idea how much free future travel AA gives away every day, mostly due to oversales. I can't remember the last time I was on an AA flight when they didn't ask for volunteers to get off the plane so higher paying ticket holders can get on. For me, I won't get off uness the offering is a thousand dollar travel voucher or more, but usually it's 2 or 3 hundred bucks, oftentimes more. It costs the airline nothing, it's a write off if you use the vouchers and they are given to you just so you'll shut the hell up!

A sick out is not done to teach the company a lesson, its done to open their ears. Its done because they aren't listening regarding the damage they are doing to their employees, because they simply don't give a rat's ass. I say go for it, I'd love to see a huge sick out shut Arpey down for a day or two. Humility, like a little revolution is a good thing now and then.

I hope FAs and ground crews across the country get the flu thanksgiving weekend, I'm not going anywhere, so I can sit back and watch the fun!

 

[JS]

I don't think you understand what KCFlyer is trying to say (and I agree with him 100% on this). If people don't buy tickets on AA, the unions may as well call in sick every day 'til kingdom come, because there won't be any need for them to come to work at all, as there won't be any passengers.

Why did you bring up the subject of vouchers for oversales? It's completely unrelated. AA "gives away" vouchers so they can sell just a couple more expensive tickets. If AA has to refund tickets because of a sick-out, it's cash, not vouchers, and they didn't get any benefit from it.


When the US flight attendants were planning CHAOS in spring of 2000, I flew CO and AA. Thank goodness I didn't fly UA in the summer.

After the Delta pilot sick-out in Christmas of 2000 (a real action rather than a threat), for all of the next year, I bought tickets on UA, AA, and CO. Not one ticket from Delta. Delta is and has always been my favorite airline, with the exception of the year 2001.

Delta was able to withstand the damage from the sick-out pretty well, and US' CHAOS never did come to pass, but what about now? Can we say the same for AA in the year 2003? Today is a much rougher environment for the airlines than was 2000.

Let's say half the gate agents and half the flight attendants do call in sick over Thanksgiving. Let's assume AA doesn't give in (I'm sure they won't), and the gate agents and the flight attendants pull the same trick over Christmas.

Following Christmas is the notoriously difficult 1st quarter. Given AA's current financial state and the economy that shows no promise of "The New Economy" B.S. anytime soon (or ever), what are the chances AA is able to avoid declaring bankruptcy next spring?

Will the flight attendants and gate agents feel better about themselves if they bring AA to its knees, and as a result they get to talk to the bankruptcy judge?